HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Each week, we put the spotlight on an NFL player with Alabama ties. This week:

Julio Jones, left, and Falcons teammate Roddy White

Julio Jones and Roddy White

Position: Wide Receivers

College: Alabama for Jones, UAB for White

NFL Team: Atlanta Falcons

Here's the scoop: By this stage, surely somebody should have come up with one of those "TomKat" "Brangelina" Hollywood marriage sort of nicknames for this tandem. Guess "JuliRod" doesn't have that sort of ring.

However, the Falcons are only a few wins away from a Super Bowl ring and one reason is they have the best wide-receiver tandem in the NFL. (To which you can add Hall of Famer-to-be tight end Tony Gonzalez to give QB Matt Ryan an embarrassment of riches.)

Jones, the second-year player from Alabama was selected for the Pro Bowl this past week. He has 53 receptions for 883 yards and six touchdowns. If history means anything, those stats will balloon when the Falcons meet Tampa Bay. He has 16 catches for 338 yards and three TDs in three previous games against the Bucs, including an 80-yard score in November.

White, who has been limited in practice this week, actually had better numbers, with 67 catches for 1,003 yards and four touchdowns; many NFL observers cry that his being snubbed for the Pro Bowl is the most egregious oversight of any player. He had eight catches for 153 yards and two TDs last week against the Lions. He just joined Marvin Harrison, Torrey Holt, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Reggie Wayne as the only wide receivers with six consecutive seasons of 80-plus catches and 1,000-plus yards.

Though there might be a natural rivalry between the two, Jones told USA Today earlier this season, "He's like a brother to me. Early on when I got here, Roddy took me under his wing, taught me the game as far as how NFL defenders try to get their hands on bigger receivers like us. He's also trying to help me before every game, making sure I continue to have fun."

"I call them 1 and 1A," Falcons coach Mike Smith said in the story. "One week the ball is going in this direction; the next week it's going to go in another direction. So they go hard every play."

Last week: Robert Mathis, the Colts' linebacker from Alabama A&M, and DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys' linebacker from Troy, were named along with Jones to the Pro Bowl rosters.

St. Louis rookie Janoris Jenkins, who played his final season at North Alabama after transferring from Florida, had his third interception return for a touchdown, tying a rookie record held by Hall of Famers Lem Barney and Ronnie Lott.

Some big numbers for Carolina's Cam Newton, the former Auburn quarterback: With his 170 yards passing in a win over Oakland, he has 7,672 in two seasons, second only to Peyton Manning for a QB's first two years. He did have a streak of 176 passes without an interception, though he's established a Panther record. He also was fined $21,000 for abusive behavior toward an official.

Former Auburn linebacker Karlos Dansby had 10 tackles in Miami's win over Buffalo, the third time he's been in double digits in tackles. He has a career-high 121 tackles for the season.

Keep an eye on: Robert Mathis needs two sacks against the Texans to reach 10 for the season, which would be his fifth season with double-digit sacks.

Philip Rivers, the San Diego quarterback from Athens, needs 45 yards to become the first Charger quarterback to surpass 3,500 passing yards in five consecutive seasons. Rivers has thrown for six touchdowns without an interception in the past three games and he's 25-5 in the month of December.

Oakland faces San Diego and most likely Rolando McClain, the former Alabama linebacker from Decatur, will again be on the inactive list. He was suspended two games by Oakland -- costing him $114,000 according to Bay Area reports -- and hasn't played since Nov. 25. He's not expected to be back with Oakland in 2013.

Others with state ties possibly in their last games at their current locations: Buffalo coach Chan Gailey, the former Samford and Troy head coach, and Bills' GM Buddy Nix, a Talladega native, are both in jeopardy of losing their jobs; Osi Umenyiora, the Giants' defensive lineman, has said he doesn't expect to return; Andre Smith, the former Alabama tackle, is a free agent at Cincinnati and could command high dollars elsewhere after a solid season.